Tabletop exercises can be an effective strategy preparing for situations that involve numerous hospital departments, such as a pandemic surge. Here are some highlights of the successful tabletop exercises used by the Minneapolis and St. Paul EDs of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to prepare for last fall's H1N1 outbreak. Every unit that interfaces with the ED was involved in the discussions. Participants were given "homework assignments" to outline their role in the overall response process. Department heads made in-person visits to overflow spaces to ensure they had adequate resources should they be required to accommodate patients.